It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My name is Nathan and I am born of white Australian (English/Irish) and Maori (native New Zealand) ancestry.

My story is unlike most others. I have never had any lifestyle induced diseases and have very rarely fallen sick my entire life. I am 180(ish) cms tall and my abs are more than happy to show themselves. I am a mere 71kg and I have forever been labelled “the skinny kid” despite how many chin-ups I can do. So I was the thin picture of Primal health before I began my journey in April this year. Actually I am now keeping more lean muscle mass than ever before, funny that!

I was fortunate to have a healthier than average upbringing. That is, fast food and soft drinks were a rare occurrence and my family members are non-drinkers and non-smokers. I have been almost illness free my entire life (a couple bouts of childhood asthma brought on by a cold). This would indeed irk many who had it hard; including my sister who still suffers with chronic allergies (I’m talking a gentle breeze would cause a 20-sneeze-long fit). We both had teenage acne, but who didn’t suffer a little on that front? Still pretty boring stuff.

When I discovered Karate in my late teens I transformed from a gangly teenager into a slightly less gangly young adult and my self-esteem began to build. I suffered a shoulder injury (torn rotator cuff) which still haunts me to this day and is relevant later in my story. I had a physical job, often trained 6 days a week and even did weight training on top of that. Needless to say my hunger was NEVER satisfied. My mother used to complain that I had a tapeworm because I never stopped eating (I didn’t have one, I promise!) I would eat box after box of cereal and loaf after loaf of bread. I never gained any weight at all and I was still hungry! I would have dinner and two bowls of cereal after because dinner would not suffice. Though if I ate those bowls of cereal on an empty stomach my body promptly rejected them, I figured it was the milk; I never liked milk much anyway. I am also told that us “ethnic” people don’t handle milk well (true or false?). I ate plenty of meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables and I generally followed the food pyramid (Australian standards, probably similar to America) and loaded up on the grain-based carbohydrates as much as I could. It seemed to serve me well. I figured I was happy and fit enough.

My affliction, if that’s what you would call it, was more mental. At a young age (around 8, I think) my mother was informed by my teacher that I may have depression. So I received “counselling” that I barely remember and it took me a long time to realize that I thought and felt differently than those around me. I don’t think the other kids contemplated the futility of existence.

Sure, teenage angst and a few hard-hitting family matters would have played a big part later on, but when I entered my early twenties and moved away from home things darkened more. I began drinking copiously. I retrospectively diagnose myself with alcoholism.

It began with just having fun and being young and free and ended with drinking an average of 50+ drinks a week. I was still highly functional. I ate well (if I ever ate at all), I exercised, I always made it to work, I always paid my bills, I stayed away from drugs and cigarettes but I rarely slept. I worked night shift which does strange things to a person. So I never noticed that anything was wrong while I was in the thick of it because I met all my obligations. The only thing was that I went home and relaxed with a drink or 10. This was often with friends, but often alone. It was the highlight of my existence: “two more hours and I can go home and drink and be happy again!” I developed weird sleeping disorders; doing things while asleep and seeming like I was awake. I also started forgetting things and I would forget nights and eventually weeks. Everything became less enjoyable than drinking, which was the only thing that gave me the energy and inclination to keep breathing. I ate so I wouldn’t starve, I exercised to not be weak and I slept when I absolutely had to but I received little to no satisfaction or enjoyment from any of it.

Sounds dramatic, but it’s really just honestly how it felt.

I will also add that I have an addictive personality and when I like something I tend to go way overboard. Thankfully I never had an interest in any harder substances or I would likely not be around to write this. My band of close friends and my loving partner (whom I surprisingly found while enduring this “phase”) were the ones that helped me see through this mental fog.

When I settled down with my partner in a new city, new job, new life, things were no doubt better, but the shadow still loomed.

I was no longer permanently drunk but I still felt very cold to everything. It is almost an ineffable feeling. I suppose it was just a general indifference to everything. My health was improving but my outlook was still warped. I began to revert back to the way I was before my episode which was physically well, but mentally “off”. The way I was since I was a child. I was good most days but I would sometimes have a mental spasm which would result in drinking too much and having little mental breakdowns about this or that. I was just not happy being me regardless of having every reason to be happy.

One of my friends was trying a “30 day detox” program and the diet was mostly paleo/primal. I didn’t do the detox myself but I tried some of the food and the notion of “eating yourself well” piqued my curiosity. So I wandered into a bookstore in search of cookbooks and happened across The Primal Blueprint. I devoured it in the next couple days and I went straight Grok for two weeks. Not one single dalliance. And with that I was awoken. It utterly obliterated all my preconceived notions of health, fitness, nutrition, life and happiness.

My mind fired in phenomenal ways, my energy exploded and I was resurrected as an entirely new being. My aforementioned shoulder injury that was giving me trouble felt amazing. The tightness and creakiness lessened. It still persists today but is 90% better than before and I hope to fully overcome it (it happened over 5 years ago). I had to have two wisdom teeth removed in June and I made an awesome recovery. I was back eating solids two days after with minimal pain killers the entire time. I was told many horror stories prior to the extraction but the whole ordeal hardly even affected me.

My energy levels are consistently high despite working long hours and I sleep better than ever.

I look forward to eating and even cooking like I never have before.

My outlook and demeanor have taken this unbelievable positive turn that words cannot do justice.

Though the remarkable ripple effect it has had on those around me has been what has surprised and delighted me the most. Me being me, I crammed The PB down everyone’s throats. Because I was all of a sudden so upbeat and energetic I was very eager to tell anyone who would listen and some who wouldn’t. But looking the way I always have people can be skeptical and I am met with the usual “You’re too skinny to go on a diet!” Sigh…

So armed with my newfound mental clarity and a sweet batch of Primal knowledge I set my sights on my estranged parents. We live in separate states and we only spoke for minutes on the phone a month (if that) and our laboured conversations often ended in angered hang-ups. I gave them my copy of the Blueprint and showed them the ways of Grok. That was now over a month ago and they have completely given up the daily bread. They are in their mid-50s and have had bread their entire lives. My father says that he has more energy than he has had his whole life and can do 100 push-ups while my usually inactive mother goes on bike rides and says that her stomach no longer feels bloated.

Saturday is now the day that they call me and give me the latest updates on their Primal journeys. There are even brief messages throughout the week letting me know about any small victories they just had. These are the same people that I wouldn’t talk to for weeks at a time. For me and mine the PB has gone much deeper than “just food”, it has enriched my life more than I could ever have imagined anything could and I am continuing to rebuild myself and my relationships with those around me.

My partner and I cook our own meals and I amazingly convinced her to ease off the rice a bit, which is a big ask for an Asian woman! We try to stick to the “wholefood” idea and eat organic as much as possible. It is definitely worth the price when you consider the better taste, the additional nutrition and the important ethical practices. I still eat some legumes, mostly green beans and the like as I suffer no ill effects and I eat as many green things I can get my hands on. We also cook with soy sauce because many of our meals are Asian stir fries cooked with coconut oil. Our diets easily abide by the 80/20 rule but mine is usually higher and sometimes perfect for a few days straight. Though we love to eat out now and then, I usually make the Primal-est choice I can. There is also the occasional social drink, but it is for happy reasons and usually after a couple I feel like enough is enough and I naturally limit myself with no struggle. The control I have over it now is effortless.

I have managed to coax a few push-ups out of my better half which was no mean feat. We walk a couple kilometres daily out of necessity. I do bodyweight exercise either at home or the park if I feel so inclined. I do a sprint workout maybe once or twice a month and go to the gym once a week or two. My weight workouts adhere to the basic Primal compound movements; none of this bicep curl stuff. Because of these types of movements my shoulder keeps getting better. It makes me really doubt the physiotherapy I received for it when it happened. They told me I’ll likely need surgery and suffer from it for the rest of my life. They gave me static stretches and isolated muscle exercises which I feel made it worse so I stopped doing it. It now makes so much more sense to use my shoulder in a natural movement then to twist and turn it in strange ways. I think instinctively our bodies know how to recover.

I finally feel comfortable in my shoes (which are Vibrams, of course!) and I can feel the effect I have had on those around me. Change begets change and ours began with a little Primal living. The world needs more people like Mark and the community that he has helped build. The crux of my letter being that even the smallest change, shift in consciousness or awareness of our actions can have the most profound effect on ourselves, others and the world at large.

Mark wrote a book and changed my life and that of those around me. I believe this knowledge has the power to change the world.

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Imagine you’re George Clooney. Take a moment to admire your grooming and wit. Okay, now imagine someone walks up to you and asks, “What’s your name?” You say, “I’m George Clooney.” Or maybe you say, “I’m the Clooninator!” You don’t say “I’m George of George Clooney Sells Movies Blog” and you certainly don’t say, “I’m Clooney Weight Loss Plan”. So while spam is technically meat, it ain’t anywhere near Primal. Please nickname yourself something your friends would call you.

So happy for you to feel so alive now And that you’ve reconnected with your family – that is so important!
Please encourage your parents to tell their story. I’m in the 50+ club and would love to hear their adventure. I think I’ll soon be ready to tell mine.

Thanks for sharing and to include your self diagnosed alcoholism. I don’t see a lot about this issue on MDA, but as a self diagnosed, family & friends diagnosed, medically diagnosed, recovering alcoholic I respect the changes you made and encourage anyone in similar situation to deal with the addiction before, during or after your primal journey. It’s not likely an alcoholic can keep carbs below 100 not to mention the toxic effect on your liver.

The part of your story about your parents really hits home. My parents, too, have been bread eaters all their lives. I just got my mom started on the 21-Day Challenge and she already feels the constant bloating she’s felt all her life go away! I strive to inform and educate anyone who will listen, and I think it is really cool how you have not only forever changed your way of living, but those around you as well.

I have read these success stories every week and have for about 2 years. This one struck a chord with me though… Exceptional story Nathan! It mirrors my own paleo journey. Everything was right in the world, I was healthy, ate ‘right’ and worked out but inside, something was missing and pulling me down. I had NO reason not to be extraordinarily/boarderline-insanely happy all the time, but I turned to booze as well (for almost my entire 20’s). I lost memories, and missed out on a lot of life. The paleo/primal community sent me on a complete 180 almost 3 years ago… one that inspires me to be the best I can be (cheesy I know, but true). Thank you for the story!

Thank you for sharing your amazing story! I truly believe that diet is a HUGE part of mental health. I’m so happy that you and yours have found yourselves and your happiness through primal living. Congratulations!

And sleep? and play!?
If/when I reproduce, I think I will definitely encourage my children to play more.
It’s so obvious when you look at it properly though, isn’t it?
Big face palm moment when that lightbulb flicks on.

Nathan, I love that going primal changed your mental outlook instead of your physical one, (at least primarily.) In my opinion, that’s a wonderful side-effect that often times gets overlooked. Going primal opens the mind to exploring the “why” of many of our choices, which forces introspection and reflection. It was so fun to read about your journey – way to go, and congratulations for making such big strides. Inspiring!!!

I agree man.
I was hesitant to submit my story because it was different to everyone elses.
Here’s me sitting here thinking “I feel great!” but looking the exact same.
Now I tend to believe it all begins in the mind (some may say “duh”) and that our physical selves are manifestations of that.
Thanks for the kind words, Nick.

Wow, this is such an amazing story! By now, most of us here are convinced of the physical transformations the Primal lifestyle can have on us, but to read about such a remarkable turn-around in other aspects of life is truly eye-opening and inspiring! This story definitely made my day and I am so happy to hear about your turn-around and how happy you are now! The new-found relationship with your parents and their willingness/eagerness to adapt the Primal lifestyle is another thing that brings me joy to read about!! Thanks for sharing, and best of luck to you and your partner – you guys look great and very happy!

Griffin, the most important thing for me (and others like us) was recognising that everyone (seemingly) has a “dark side” so to speak. This means you are not alone. For me it was a whole lot of misplaced emotion. But gaining control of your mind can be an amazingly hard task.

There was one incident that occurred that I actually forgot to mention. I have since moved on so I don’t dwell on it much and I didn’t seem relevant but I will share with you.
I had a friend who was struggling with himself (poor decisions, depression etc etc) and he could not get through it.
Sadly he committed suicide in my house and a friend and I found his body.
What that did to me and those around him will leave a permanent scar. But I took the “good” from the situation, and that is that no matter what happens, you can always make it through.
And it can be as simple as asking someone for help. I offered my help to my friend and it came to that. He left behind friends, a wife and a newborn son.

Sometimes a little perspective can have a massive effect. If he had have opened up to me and I could have told him how beautiful his son was, he may have never done it. He was intent on focusing on his mistakes and shortcomings and not his baby boy.

When I have a darker turn, I look at my beautiful partner, I think of my amazing friends, and I think of my loving family.
And I do something therapeutic to my soul.
Run through the park and do a crazy workout. Pick up my guitar and play. Sit down and write. These things I love to do and I come back to Earth when I do them.

Mental kudos Nathan…If Mark ever makes these stories into a book or includes these in a publication– more than the web pages — it will triple the primal reach due to the real life progress many have made.

There’s nothing like being inspired by those who have struggled through the many problems and circumstances and overcome them!

It’s generous and brave of you to admit your own past failings in order to inspire others. I’m especially inspired by your willingness to admit former problems with alcohol and depression, since so often people sweep those under the rug and pretend everything is fine-fine-fine. Bravo!

Do you still allow yourself dairy? What does a typical day’s menu look like for you?

Thank you, Catherine.
I almost talked myself out of it, but I’m glad I didn’t now. Saying it all so openly was a big part of overcoming it, or managing it. So often when we’re upset we don’t admit it. And apparently that can be pretty harmful!

So dairy…
Currently I am undergoing an intestinal cleanse thingy… which is no dairy or high-sucrose fruits. At this stage it seems that I have sucrose-malabsorption issues. Eating fruit can be bad!? Or more specifically, me eating a tonne of fruit at once. Funny story, I tried kiwi fruit which was on my “ok” list of fruits and had a bad allergic reaction where my lips, mouth, throat and stomach got really swollen almost instantly. Lucky it was a teaspoon and not a whole one or I woulda been in trouble!

Anyhow, before that the only dairy I ate semi-consistenly was aged vintage cheddar. Man I love cheese… No milk because I just don’t like it. I have soy lattes now and then (I’m a barista, take it easy! I’m aware of the soy problems etc but….. it’s cold and I want one!!) And I would have the cheese in an omelette. Needless to say, my omelettes are now boring.

My menu is rather limited because I’m a poor excuse for a cook, but:
Breakfast (either one of the following):
– 3 or 4 (organic) egg omelette (optional cheese/capsicum/garlic/pepper/baby spinach/carrot/onion/whatever-is-in-the-fridge)
– bacon (2 to 5 rashers) and 2 or 3 eggs (optional same as above)
– 4 boiled eggs (must have rock salt and cracked pepper, even cheese, I stole this from MDA!)
– tea (or coffee..) with salt, sugar, coconut oil and an egg! (also stolen from MDA, sounds dodgy, but it’s my new obsession)

Lunch:
– typically left overs from dinner the night before. My partner (or I) cook a little extra to take to work for lunch. I strongly recommend this. Healthier, cheaper and easier. Only downside is having the same meal twice in quick succession. Doesn’t faze me though.

Dinner:
– Asian/Western style stir frys (my partner and I merge our tastes into a sort of fusion thing) which are typically either beef/chicken/pork with a load of vegies like carrot/broccoli/beans/snow peas/pumpkin/sweet potato/capsicum/bok choy/pak choy/kang kung/or any Asian/Western vegetable
– roast chicken with steamed or roasted vegies (sometimes I keep the bones to make a broth. So with one chicken we get dinner, lunch and another meal. So that’s six individual meals. Bonus!)
– or my favourite, steak and vegies/salad. Then the extra steaks I chop up, and have over salad or with the vegies for lunch the next day.)

A good idea is to roast your favourite mix in coconut oil, honey and shreddded coconut (a sprinkle of coffee even). Though my stupid sucrose issue has me off honey…… For the time being anyhow.

All of the food is organic where possible and cooked in coconut oil. The whole chicken is always organic, because it amounts to many meals I want it to be of the best quality.
And my partner cooks with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and a bunch of things I can’t pronounce. So while some aren’t primal they are minimised. Additionally we use lots of fresh chilli, garlic and ginger (amongst other herbs/spices).

My philosophy is that if I make all my daily eating habits healthy, I can have the occasional “bad” thing. But when we go out for dinner I generally opt for the Primal-est choice possible (i.e. skip the rice/chips(“fries”)/bread etc) and load up on vegies. The good ol 80/20 rule.

Ah, another success story to forward to my oldest daughter as I slowly entice her away from her heavily carb based diet. At least she’s no longer mostly vegetarian. Though her diet is still very heavy on pasta and potatoes, in the form of potato chips and french-fries…. She has depression, anxiety, and insomnia issues, and is still rather unconvinced that her diet may play a large role in those problems.

I agree, this has been my favorite success story so far as well. It’s one thing to read about someone who was eating SAD, overweight and suffering from the usual maladies that go along with that who starts eating primal and makes amazing physical changes and improves their health. It’s so nice to get another perspective. I can also relate to the depression and alcoholism. Great story telling, this was a wonderful read!

I really identified with so much of this story, especially feeling different from a young and using alcohol as an escape. As well as being in recovery from alcoholism I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and changing my diet has been intrinsic to my coping and overcoming many of my symptoms. Primal is my way of making amends to my body for the years of abuse I put it through!

Thank you for sharing this, Nathan. I struggle with alcohol myself, and haven’t quite gone the whole way into Paleo/Primal. Reading this is motivating me to really stay focused on that way of eating, if a reduced desire for alcohol can be a result.

I’m not saying one can necessarily always cure oneself of alcoholism from diet, to anyone who is suddenly going to jump on me for that assumed viewpoint. But I’m looking forward to seeing how my food choices could benefit my reliance upon alcohol.

Good for you Julie. Not all reliance on alcohol is the same as it is for another person, good point. I think that making your life more primal in your food/drink choices will help you gain strength to move forward with finding out what it is that is fueling your reliance on alcohol. Any time we exercise our self control it gets stronger, just like a muscle. Getting rid of what is causing our bodies distress (like inflamation and digestion problems) can help strengthen our resolve to move on to the other things in our life that need addressing. (we feel like crawling out from under that basket that seems soooo safe) (insert smile here)
Another benefit to cleaner eating is that for most of us it makes that one or two drinks hit us way harder so it’s easier to just say “No, I’ve had enough” sooner than we ever did before.

So inspiring! My parents have taken the plunge too. My Father is 75, had a triple bypass a few years ago, and now has the blood work of a healthy middle aged man. His cardiologist is confused and keeps lecturing him to be careful with “those fats”. I think teaching our parents is a great gift.

Thanks for sharing your very personal inner journey with us. I am sure there are many people out there who do not manifest visible symptoms who will be inspired and hopeful after reading this. So happy for you and your family!

I also remember feeling cold and detached from life before going primal. Sitting in a room of friends and wondering why I felt like a fake, like I was just pretending to be happy.
The SAD has a lot to answer for especially when the heart foundation comes out with this!

Nathan, I just want to thank you for being so frank and open in sharing your very personal success story. Already from the comments you can see that you have reached others who have similar issues to deal with, and encouraged them to perservere with the Primal choice in their lives.

And of course, congratulations on making such an amazing positive change in your life and the lives of those around you.

Nathan you rock!!!!! I’m another Aussie you have inspired with your frank and honest account.

Your life has changed in so many positive ways and mental and social health are such a huge part of ensuring a happy and whole person. Thanks so much for highlighting this as we often forget these important factors and focus on the physical.

Nathan – Thank you for sharing your story. I started feeling the effects of depression at about the same age. I started going primal at 34 (one year ago), and my depression has improved tremendously. Sometimes I feel like it can’t last, but I’m keeping the faith that the primal lifestyle will continue to work. Peace and happiness to you and your family!

Thank you.
To be honest, it doesn’t “last”, I don’t think anyone is happy every single second of the day.
But as a whole, there are less bad moments and more good. Or rather more appreciation of the good and a downplaying of the bad.
You are also more equipped to bounce back stronger.
…like an 80/20 rule with your mental state. Right??

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